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Connery----Signed by Hitch!

posted 10 years ago by hisgrandmogulhighness
2 replies | jump to latest

Chicago Tribune, Friday, November 1, 1963, s. 2, p. 16, c. 2:

LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD

Alfred Hitchcock Signs Connery for Film

by Hedda Hopper

Hollywood, Oct. 31----Alfred Hitchcock, with an eye for the great ones, signed Sean Connery for "Marnie" with Tippi Hedren. Hitchcock refused to sit idly by while Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman stole his thunder with their tongue-in-cheekery productions of Ian Fleming's suspense stories in which Sean plays the hero, James Bond. "From Russia, With Love" is out-grossing everything, including "Lawrence" all over England. Fleming has readers by the millions and women flip over the rugged Scotsman Connery. Hitchcock starts shooting this month . . . Cubby Broccoli, here setting the deal for his star, is planning the next Fleming movie "Gold Finger" which deals with a raid on Fort Knox. He contacted Pierre Salinger at the White House for permission to look over our vault in Kentucky. Salinger referred him to the proper authorities, then said, "If you have a print of 'From Russia, With Love,' send it over. Somebody wants to see it." Somebody being J.F.K., one of Fleming's fans. The author has been a guest at the White House several times since Jack and Jackie recognized him in a restaurant and introduced themselves. Broccoli and Saltzman own movie rights to all his books except "Casino Royale" which the late Gregory Ratoff bought. Fleming's latest "They Only Live Twice," set in Japan, is now in galleys.

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Gregory Ratoff owned the rights to Casino Royale? . . . I never would've guessed it . . .

And I agree . . . all those Bond films are "tongue-in-cheek" . . .

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

Yes, it is well known that Connery was in Hitchcock's movie "Marnie."

You were scooped on this news item.

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

Hah...but clearly we are being taken back in time ("You are there") and learning some interesting things.

Like, Hitchcock managed to sign Connery just as Bond was really taking off(From Russia With Love) and right before Bond would head into the stratosphere(Goldfinger) and Connery would be much more costly to hire.

Like when this article was printed, JFK had 21 days to live -- and had ordered personal delivery of the sexy "From Russia With Love." So we can figure it was among the final films (maybe THE final film) that JFK saw.

Gregory Ratoff probably DID own the rights to Casino Royale. It was never made as a Broccoli Bond film with Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, or Brosnan...a spoof version(with a kernel of Fleming's novel in it) was made in 1967 with Peter Sellers, David Niven and "an all star cast."

I assume that somehow the Broccoli heirs finally bought Casino Royale in time for Daniel Craig to star...and to convert the book into a "James Bond origin story" -- back when Bond didn't CARE how his martinis were served....